Hornady gas checks

[jim 44-40]

Hello to all , Trying to find out what BHN to use for my 44 cal gas check mold.So the Hornady gas checks will fit. I used Lyman #2 but the gas check goes on only if I hit it with a mallet,The mold is a Lyman 215gr GC. I use Lyman gas checks with a 38 cal mold and they fit,with ease. Thanks in advance for any info.

[44man]

If you put the checks on right after casting they might go on easier. You can also anneal the checks. Alloys with antimony will expand over a few days. Personally, I like tight checks and have to tap each boolit on the bench to seat them. I make my molds so I have to do that. Nothing worse then a loose check that might shed when shot. You might want to be thankful about what you have. A little more work means better accuracy.

[leftiye]

Jim, I would go with the lead hardness that fits the load that you want to make up. If the shank is too large annealing might help the gas checks to fit. Or make up a punch that the nose just barely enters the gas check, and which has a short tapered section to flare the gas checks so they'll go on the boolits.

[Lloyd Smale]

the old lyman checks for the 44 were just a tad bigger and the 215 mold is one that will give you a littel trouble with hornady checks. they will go on but you really need to make sure that you have no flash line or any feathering in the shank area. The gator checks are just a tad bigger about the size of the old lymans and fit better and still stay on other bullet designs better because they are a crimp on check like the hornady rather then a non crimp check like the old lymans. Lyman checks are now the same as hornady so your only option is to either fight them or find old ones on ebay or buy gators.(the best option)

[Bass Ackward]

In addition to what folks have already told you, I would go back and look hard at the mated surfaces of your mold. Make sure that you don't have lead or something on the block faces that might be beagling your mold. Could be you just have a larger mold, but then again maybe not.

Hold the blocks up to light and insure you see no light between them. If you do, you found your real problem. Failure to close completely is going to increase diameter.

[Shuz]

I suspect some will think this post amounts to heresy, but have you considered using a fine design like 429421 or the RCBS 44-250K that "don't need no steenking" gas check? In over 40 years of shooting the .44 mag in prolly 30 different revolvers (and one TC), I find myself utilizing plain based boolits for 99% of my loads. If I do some experimenting with a new idea or load that may produce a little leading in a bbl, I'll shoot some gas checked design like 429215 to get the leading out easily, and then resume my PB shooting. I've driven 44 PB boolits to over 1300 fps with zippo leading, so why use a gas checked design, especially since the .44 checks are going for around $30.00/M these days? I do realize that gas checked boolits are more "forgiving" of errors in matching boolit to throat/bbl dimensions, alloy hardness and general load development with pressures/obturation etc.; but if one take the time to find out "what works" best in an individual gun, gas checks become superfluous.

[Swagerman]

An easy way to fit gas checks to any lead cast boolit is to use swaging die with tapered ogive, get one special ordered from C-H 4D.com that has the right taper you require.

The ram punch can be bullet nose fitted, or even flat; bullet is placed on the ram punch base up to enter the swaging die. The ram is pushed up into the swaging die only enough to get a slight taper on the boolits base. This will allow the gas check to be fitted to the base when you then reverse the bullet and reenter the swaging die to seat and crimp the gas check onto the bullets base.

That is why its important to order the right taper on the ogive for proper bullet shape.

The swaging die ogive does it all for seating gas checks to any lead bullet.

Jim


Here is a Lee 255 grain bullet in the three stages of being processed as described above.

Note: The middle bullet has the taper applied to it, and the top 3rd bullet has the finished gas check attached.


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/P80200353bulletsshowingGCtapercropp.jpg

[jim 44-40]

I found the time to shoot my Trails End 44-40 with some 215 gas check,sized .429.The gas checks had to be tapped on with mallet,but it did not affect accuracy.
I used data from older Lyman manual,7.3 grs Unique.I have also shot 429421 from this sweet little Winchester and it put a hurting on these PA goundhogs Thanks for all the info, it is invaluable.